Defending champions Juventus advanced to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia with an emphatic 4-0 home triumph over Cagliari on Tuesday, courtesy of goals from Dusan Vlahovic, Teun Koopmeiners, Francisco Conceicao, and Nicolas Gonzalez.
Juventus, the most decorated club in the tournament’s history with 15 titles, will face Empoli in the next stage, while Cagliari shift their attention to the Serie A survival fight.
Vlahovic, who bore the brunt of Juventus fans’ frustration after Saturday’s 2-2 stalemate with Venezia, enjoyed their cheers this time, netting a goal just before halftime.
Koopmeiners doubled the lead with a precise free kick eight minutes into the second half, Conceicao scored 10 minutes before the final whistle, and Gonzalez sealed the victory in the 89th minute.
Cagliari started briskly, with Gianluca Lapadula forcing Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio into a reflex save in the first minute, but from then on, the hosts dominated proceedings.
Vlahovic missed narrowly from a sharp angle near the six-yard box, and Kenan Yildiz saw his spectacular volley blocked by defender Mateusz Wieteska.
Conceicao nearly scored with a curling shot that missed the far post and then forced Cagliari keeper Simone Scuffet into a diving save moments later with another effort from distance.
Cagliari almost made it to the break unscathed, but Vlahovic latched onto a pass from Yildiz in the penalty area, turned his marker, and fired the ball through Wieteska’s legs, off the far post, and into the net.
Juventus extended their advantage when Koopmeiners sent a free kick from outside the box curling over the wall and into the top corner, and they encountered minimal resistance in securing the win.
Vlahovic had two second-half goals disallowed for offside, but Conceicao eventually found the net his performance merited, cutting in from the right and placing his shot into the far bottom corner.
Substitute Gonzalez capped off the night with a solo run and a chip over the keeper as Juventus, who have drawn their past four league matches, continue their strong form in cup competitions, having also defeated Manchester City in the Champions League last week.
